289. His Covenant Word

Haggai 2:5 NKJV‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!‘

Haggai 2:5 NLT My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’

Haggai 2:5 MSG‘Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I’m living and breathing among you right now. Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back.’

It is important to remember what God has said to us. In difficult times and especially when fear begins to raise its head, staying focused on God’s Word and His faithful promises is what will see you through.

In Haggai 2:5, the Lord reminds His people of His covenant promise to them from Exodus 29:45, “I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God.” This reminder encourages them that He will see them through and reaffirms the importance of their task in rebuilding the temple and the tabernacle of meeting for His presence to reside with them in. But it is the POWER in GOD’S FAITHFUL PROMISE that instills confidence in and commitment in His people to press forward and accomplish what is necessary to do.

When we are faced with fear, the most powerful weapon we have is God’s unfailing WORD. What has He said about your situation? What is it that He has specifically told you do? What does His Covenant Word say?

He builds confidence in His people and dispels fear by reminding them of His unchanging COVENANT WORD to always be with them; therefore they never need fear. Having a biblically informed trust in God’s WORD transforms fear of the unknown into a confidence in an ever present and unfailing God, who will see you through. However, we are to, “Put into action the WORD…” that He has given to us. We have a part to play. FAITH.

There is a response to God’s Word and that is faith. The Children of Israel could have said, “God is with us so, we don’t have to do anything… he said fear not, so let’s just sit around and hang out.” But they would have been neglecting the point. The fear was present because they were told to rebuild the temple and between its present state of disrepair, naysayers, and enemies that wanted to stop them, there was plenty of obstacles in their way and they saw it as incredibly difficult. But their response to God’s WORD and covenant reminder not to fear, was to respond in FAITH by doing what they had been instructed to do. They put into action the reality that He was with them.

The Spirit of God resides with each of His children (Rom 8:15). Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back. Fear NOT and put into action the WORD He covenanted to you.